Apparatus for the manufacture of synthetic leather

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for the manufacture of synthetic leather by forming a superficial film layer from the surface of a fiber layer comprising thermoplastic fibers or from a thermoplastic powder or granulate applied onto a carrier or fiber layer. The apparatus comprises a feed and tensioning unit, a support roller, a heating roller, an endless metal strip guided between the support roller and heating roller, a guiding roller for guiding and tensioning the metal strip, means for cooling the melt, means for cooling the metal strip and the product, and a discharge roller for removing the product.

United States Patent Inventors Gyorgy Szabo;

Sandor Toth, both of Gyor, Hungary Appl. No. 6,422

Filed Jan. 28, I970 Patented Sept. 7, 1971 Assignee Licencia Talalmanyokat Ertekesito Vallalat Budapest, Hungary Priority Jan. 30, 1969 Hungary APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTUREVOF SYNTHETIC LEATHER 1 Claim, l fDrawing Fig. US. V 18/13 R, 18/4 B, 18/6 E, 18/15 S, 264/284 Int. Cl ..B29c 15/00, B29d 7/14, B290 17/00 Field of Search 18/4 B, 4 S, 1FE,5 A,6 E,10, 15 R, 15 S, 15 V, 13 R, 13 RR,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,300,250 4/1919 Crowell 18 15 s x 1,807,223 5/1931 Miller 18/15 s x 2,221,019 11/1940 Clarke..... 18/15 s x 3,178,768 4/1965 Edberg 18/4 B 3,369,503 2/1968 Murphy 18/4 B x Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overholser Assistant Examiner-R. L. Spicer, Jr. Attorney-Michael S. Striker ABSTRACT: An apparatus for the manufacture of synthetic leather by forming a-superficial film layer from the surface of a fiber layer comprising thermoplastic fibers or from a thermoplastic powder or granulate applied onto a carrier or fiber layer. The apparatus comprises a feed and tensioning unit, a support roller, a heating roller, an endless metal strip guided between the support roller and heating roller, a guiding roller for guiding and tensioning the metal strip, means for cooling the melt, means for cooling the metal strip and the product,

and a discharge roller for remoi ing tl'ieproduct.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SYNTHETIC LEATHER The invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of synthetic leather.

From the aspect of the processes hitherto employed for this purpose, the known apparatuses for the manufacture of synthetic leather can be divided into three main categories.

a. In the earliest conventional apparatus the synthetics or film forming agents dissolved in dispersing or emulsifying media are applied in several coats directly on the carrier, the dispersing or emulsifying medium is evaporated, the coats or layers gelled and cooled, and the product is wound up.

b. In a more recently used apparatus the synthetics or film forming agents, dissolved in a dispersing medium or emulsifier, are applied in several coats on a release paper, treated with a separating substance, then the layers are united with the carrier, gelled, cooled, and the products wound up.

c. A variant of the machine under (b), with the difference, however, of employing a thin steel strip instead of the release paper strip.

These conventional apparatuses have the common drawback of involving the use of evaporation of inflammable solvents; their gelation requires a heat treatment to be carried out within a very narrowtemperature range, they are voluminous and extremely costly.

It is the )bject of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive ap aratus of low floor space requirement, which permits the manufacture of synthetic leathers by means of novel technologies differing from the conventional technologies.

- The invention is based on the recognition that on the surface of a fiber layer comprising among others thermoplastic fibers, or from a thermoplastic powder or granulate applied onto a carrier or fiber layer, it is possible to form a porous or microporous surface film layer of appropriate softness, free of adhesion, by heat treating with the aid of a metal strip.

The invention therefore relates to an apparatus for producing a superficial film layer from the surface of a fiber layer comprising among others thermoplastic fibers, or from a ther moplastic powder or granulate applied onto a carrier or fiber layer, comprising a feed and tensioning unit 1, a support roller 2, a heating roller 3, an endless metal strip 5 guided between the support roller and heating roller, a guiding roller 11 for guiding and tensioning the metal strip, means 7 for cooling the melt and, if desired, for guiding and supporting the carrier provided with the superficial film layer, means 8, 9, 10 for cooling the metal strip and the product, resp., and a discharge roller 12 for removing the product.

The apparatus according to the invention is equally suitable for forming a superficial film layer from the material of a fiber layer both with or without a carrier, as well as from a thermoplastic synthetic material applied on a carrier or onto the surface of a fiber layer.

The invention is more particularly described below with reference to the accompanying drawing showing a preferable embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

The fabric A which. serves as carrier, is led from the feed roller la to the tensioning roller lb, hence to the support roller 2, where the thermoplastic synthetic material or fiber layer disposed on that side of the carrier which faces the heating roller 3 is caused to melt on the effect of heat transmitted from the heating roller 3 with the aid of the steel strip 5. I

The melt of synthetic material thus formed on the carrier is cooled, together with the steel strip 5, with the aid of the means 8, 9 and 10. The supporting roller 2 is cooled by the cooling roller 6. The carrier provided with the film layer is guided and supported by the rollers 7. it is advisable to cool said roller 7 by means of fluid circulation in order to accelerate thereby the cooling of the article. The required tension of the steel strip 5 is adjusted by means of the tensioning roller 4 and the strip guidin roller 11.

The carrier provided wit a film layer is conveyed from the EXAMPLE The fabric used as carrier has a width of cm., a density of warp of 240 per 10 cm. and a number of picks of 370 per 10 cm., wherein a set of warp consisting of Nm 60/2 cotton yarn is used, the weft consisting of Nm 50/2 polyamide-6. The

fabric is a five-yarn fabric in sateen, with a shoot of weft' counted by twos. The carrier is finished to duvetine (moleskin) and a cotton runner of identical width and 10 meter length is stitched to it. The runner is inserted at the path designated in the drawing in broken line between A and B, and is wound onto a storage cylinder not represented in the draw- As support roller 2 a cotton cylinder of 600 mm. diameter is employed which has been adjusted in relation to the endless steel strip 5 to have an edge pressure producing a surface pressure of 200 g./cm. surface on the carrier to be treated. The electrically heated roller 3 is heated to 218 :1 C., with the machine running at basic speed. With the aid of the cotton runner the carrier is introduced into the machine in such a manner as to cause the fiber layer on its surface to bear on the heated steel strip. The machine is adjusted to operating speed (appr. 10 m./sec.), and the gap between the steel strip and the supporting rollers 7 is set to 0.8 mm. by adjusting the cooling rollers 8 and 10. Thereafter the pumps for the cooling fluid of the rollers 8, 10 and 15 as well as the fans of the nozzles 9 and 14 are set working. By full or partial operation of the nozzles 9 and the cooling rollers 8 and 10 the cooling of the strip is so adjusted as to ensure that the strip is not cooled below 40 C. less than the operating temperature.

The article provided with a molten surface film is separated from the steel strip with the aid of the roller 12, this latter being situated so as to produce a clearance of 20 mm. between its surface and the steel strip.

After separation or removal from the steel strip, the intense cooling of the product is performed by the nozzles 14 and the fluid-cooled roller 15.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for the manufacture of synthetic leather by forming a superficial film layer from the surface of a fiber layer comprising among other thermoplastic fibers, or from a thermoplastic powder or granulate applied onto a carrier or fiber layer, comprising a feed and tensioning unit (la,lb), a support roller (2), a heating roller (3), an endless metal strip (5) guided between the support roller and heating roller, a guiding roller (11) for guiding and tensioning the metal strip, means (7) for cooling the melt and, if desired, for guiding and supporting the carrier provided with the superficial film layer, means (8, 9, 10) for cooling the metal strip and the product, and a discharge roller 12) for removing the product. 

